While Kerry cuddles with Zarif, Iran goes to work in the Strait of Hormuz
US Secretary of State John Kerry and chief 'negotiator' Wendy Sherman became
the first US officials to set foot on Iranian soil since 1979 on Monday, when they popped into the Iranian Ambassador to the UN's New York office for a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif.
Iran's response? Lots of 'goodwill.' And the
seizure of a Marshall Islands-flagged ship in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Pentagon said at least five Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
Navy patrol vessels approached the Marshall Islands-flagged Maersk
Tigris cargo ship at 4 a.m. eastern time as it was transiting the
Straight of Hormuz and directed the ship to proceed further into Iranian
waters.
When the ship’s master declined, the Iranian ship fired
shots across the bridge of the cargo vessel, Pentagon spokesman Col.
Steve Warren said. After shots were fired, the ship proceeded into
Iranian waters near the vicinity of Larak Island. It was boarded by
members of the Iranian coast guard and is now being held in Iranian
waters with about 30 people aboard.
...
The Maersk Tigris issued a distress call, prompting U.S. Naval Forces
Central Command to send the U.S. destroyer Farragut to the site as well
as aircraft to observe the interaction, Col. Warren said. The destroyer
is currently on the way, with no clear timetable of when it will arrive
on the scene.
The U.S. assets are being sent to “monitor the
situation,” Col. Warren said. Naval Forces Central Command have been
communicating with representatives from the shipping company, he said.
The
shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz is in Iranian territorial
waters, but ships typically pass through with no issues under rules of
innocent passage, which allow ships to pass through as long as they
follow international law.
There are no Americans aboard the cargo
ship and currently no injuries reported among the crew, Col. Warren
said. It is unclear what sort of cargo the ship is carrying.
It should be an interesting briefing at the State Department today.... What could go wrong?
Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, diplomatic relations, Iran, Iranian navy, Iranian nuclear threat, John Kerry, Mohammad Javad Zarif, Strait of Hormuz, US Navy, Wendy Sherman
New Zealand lied?
You will recall that on Monday I blogged a post by @BarakRavid that claimed that the last two New Zealand ambassadors to Turkey were listed on the embassy's website as having been
credentialed to both Israel and the 'Palestinian Authority.' I questioned whether that was case based on Wikipedia.
It now turns out that according to the way back machine, the website of the New Zealand embassy in Turkey was changed sometime between
August 8, 2014 and today to add that the ambassador was credentialed to the 'Palestinian Authority.' Previously, it had said he was credentialed to the 'occupied Palestinian territory.' This week was likely the first that Israel's foreign ministry heard of it.
I got this by email from
Marty R.
According to archive.org, it does seem to be new.
May 26 and July 2, 2014: "Jordan, Israel and occupied Palestinian territory"
Feb 13, 2014 the website design changed, but it does not list PA, either on the main page or when you click on Israel:
"Living in Turkey
Living in Israel
Living in Jordan"
Source: https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.nzembassy.com/turkey
I went back to October 1, 2013 and clicked on the "what the embassy does" link and it included 'occupied Palestinian territory.' So I sent an email to Marty R asking him to clarify when the reference to the 'Palestinian Authority' started. Here's his response:
Oh so this must be more recent, sometime b/w August 8 and today.
Today, as you mentioned, it says "Authority": "Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Georgia and Azerbaijan"
While at least up to
Aug 8, it said "territory": "Jordan, Israel and occupied Palestinian territory".
Same thing Under What the Embassy does:
Today,
"The New Zealand Ambassador to the Republic of Turkey is also
accredited to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the State of Israel, the
Palestinian Authority, Georgia and Azerbaijan."
While at least up to Aug 8,
is said "The New Zealand Ambassador to the Republic of Turkey is also
accredited to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the State of Israel, and
the occupied Palestinian territory."
There may be other archiving websites besides archive.org (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Web_archiving_initiatives), if you want a more recent date than Aug 8.
In any event, it seems recent enough. It used to be "Palestinian
territory", which is how the area is categorized by I assume most
countries, while they now deal with PA as if it is a country on its own.
Indeed. In the world of diplomacy, there is a world of difference between 'occupied Palestinian territory' and the 'Palestinian Authority.' One just clarifies that the ambassador is credentialed to Judea and Samaria (and Gaza?) without recognizing Israel's claim to it, while the other recognizes a different governing authority in that territory.
That makes the Foreign Ministry's reaction to Curr's presentation of his credentials far more understandable.
Labels: Avigdor Lieberman, diplomatic relations, New Zealand, Palestinian Authority
Israel rejects New Zealand's new ambassador
Israel has rejected the credentials of New Zealand ambassador Jonathan Curr on the grounds that Curr is also slated to be his country's ambassador to the '
Palestinian Authority.'
New Zealand does not maintain an embassy in Israel; its relations
with Israel are handled by its embassy in Ankara, which is responsible
for several countries in the region. Its ambassador to Turkey serves as
nonresident ambassador to Israel and comes to Jerusalem every month or
two for meetings.
New Zealand’s new ambassador to Turkey, Jonathan
Curr, was meant to come to Israel this week to present his credentials.
A packed schedule for his visit was almost set, when last Thursday he
told Foreign Ministry personnel that since he is also responsible for
New Zealand’s relations with the PA, he also planned to visit Ramallah
for an official ceremony with PA president Mahmoud Abbas as well.
This
was not to be a full presentation of credentials, since New Zealand
does not recognize a state called Palestine. Curr was to present instead
a letter of introduction, a document which merely informs Abbas that he
is the New Zealand diplomat who handles ties with the PA.
When
the Foreign Ministry heard this, officials informed Curr that this
violated diplomatic protocol. They noted that since the Oslo Accords,
Israel had firm rules that forbade a foreign ambassador to be
credentialed to both Israel and the PA, and that unless his “dual
credentials” were canceled, he could not serve as ambassador to Israel.
Well, yeah, except that for years, the Leftist-controlled foreign ministry had allowed New Zealand to do exactly what Curr wanted to do....
Curr was shocked, because his two predecessors were credentialed to
both Israel and the PA and Jerusalem had never protested. Senior
ministry officials explained to Curr that, even if this was the case,
his two predecessors had presented credentials to Abbas without
informing Israel.
Claims by Foreign Ministry officials that such
accreditation had taken place without Israel’s knowledge seem rather
strange, since the website of New Zealand’s embassy in Turkey states
clearly that its ambassador is also accredited to Israel, the PA and
Jordan.
To try to resolve the issue, the Foreign Ministry
suggested that a lower-level diplomat from the embassy in Turkey present
the letter of introduction and be responsible for ties with the PA.
This further insulted Curr, who retorted that Israel was not going to
tell his country how to handle its diplomacy.
Haaretz's Barak Ravid goes on to report that the government of New Zealand, which he describes as being 'pro-Israel,' (which they
probably are) is furious over the 'snub' to Curr.
The problem here is that Israel should never have accepted a situation where it shares an ambassador to the 'Palestinian Authority' in the first place.
But I'm not sure Ravid is right. Wikipedia maintains a
list of New Zealand's ambassadors. There are a lot of instances where New Zealand has ambassadors accredited to multiple countries, but here's what it says about the ambassador to Turkey:
The embassy is located in Ankara, Turkey's capital city. New Zealand has maintained a resident ambassador in Turkey since 1993. The Ambassador to Turkey is concurrently accredited to Israel and Jordan.
But in fact the web page of the
New Zealand embassy in Turkey says that the ambassador is accredited to Jordan, Israel, the 'Palestinian Authority,' Georgia and Azerbaijan. Maybe this really is something new as Israel's foreign ministry claimed?
Hmmm.
Labels: Avigdor Lieberman, diplomatic relations, New Zealand, Palestinian Authority
It's about time: French 'diplomat' who struck soldier to be expelled from Israel
Remember Marion Castaing, the French 'diplomat' who
punched an Israeli soldier in the face? You will be pleased to hear that she is
going to be expelled.
The French diplomat who was
involved in a physical clash with Border Police personnel in the Jordan
Valley last Friday will be expelled from Israel.
Marion Fesneau-Castaing, a cultural attaché at the French Consulate in Jerusalem, will leave Israel before the end of the year.
A video of the incident near Khirbet al-Makhul last Friday shows Fesneau-Caistaing striking a Border Police officer in the face.
Israel filed a complaint with France about the incident.
The two countries decided to handle the matter while "maintaining
Israel-France relations," as an Israeli official put it.
End of the year? They should have given her 48 hours to leave.
In other news involving the French diplomatic corps, a chauffeur for the Jerusalem consulate was caught
trying to smuggle 152 kilos of gold bars, 500 kilos of tobacco, hundreds of new cel phones, and $2 million in checks across the border to Jordan (Hat Tip:
Shy Guy).
Sounds like the French need to do a little diplomatic training....
Labels: diplomatic relations, France
Another reason Obama can be proud he forced out Hosni Mubarak
I'm sure that Barack Hussein Obama is very proud of the role that he played to force out Hosni Mubarak and make way for the Egyptian
Democrats Islamists. After all, Obama is proud of everything he does, justifiably or not. And I'm sure that a group of American kids that is
holed up in the US embassy in Cairo, fearing arrest and torture (or worse), shares Obama's pride. Well, maybe they don't.
"A handful of U.S. citizens opted to stay at the U.S. embassy compound while waiting for permission to leave Egypt," State Department spokesman Noel Clay told FOX News Channel.
The irregular action, which effectively protects the Americans from being arrested (because the embassy is considered to be on U.S. soil), was taken after several U.S. workers at non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were barred from flying out of Cairo a week ago.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood's son Sam LaHood, the director of the Egyptian program for the International Republican Institute (IRI), is among those on the Egyptian government's "no fly list."
...
A State Department official told The Washington Post, who first reported the story, that it was not believed the "handful" of NGO staff who had decided to take shelter at the Cairo embassy were in "immediate physical danger."
Several Washington lobbyists announced Saturday they are ending their contract with the Egyptian government, as the controversy deepens over raids conducted on the offices of American advocacy groups.
Sam LaHood told FOX by phone Friday that an Egyptian judge claims he, along with the other Americans barred from leaving the country, worked for an unregistered NGO and took a salary.
"We're kind of expecting the worst," LaHood said. "There hasn't been a lot of movement nothing has really changed. If it does go to trial, a trial could last up to one year in a case that's as wide-ranging as this one is. But the penalty for that is six months to five years in jail so these are very serious charges."
Meanwhile, a group of senior Egyptian generals landed in Washington on Sunday to try to mend the rift between the two countries, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The US is actually
quite concerned for these people's safety.
The United States is worried of the fate of its citizens barred by the Cairo regime from leaving Egypt, which has criticized their lobbying activities. The new crisis in American-Egyptian relations comes during a new stage of elections, this time for the upper house of the parliament.
At least 10 American citizens were employed by three US-based firms that lobbied the American government on behalf of Egypt but which abruptly canceled their contracts with Egypt last Friday, following deteriorating relations with the regime in Cairo. It had criticized the lobbyists for having defended the government of Hosni Mubarak in its first raids on protesters last year.
One of the lobbyists who cannot get out of Egypt is Sam LaHood, the son of President Barack Obama’s Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood. The three lobbying firms are run by former Congressmen and a powerful lobby group with close ties to the Obama administration.
Well, I sure hope that those being held know who their Congressmen are. Maybe the US would like to
trade a few F-16's?
Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, diplomatic relations, Egyptian army
South Sudan votes to secede
It's not surprising that South Sudan
voted to secede from the North. What's amazing is the percentage, which is by far the highest I can recall voting for anything or anyone in a free and fair election.
WITH MOST of the votes counted, almost 99 per cent of southern Sudanese who voted in last week’s independence referendum have chosen to split from the north.
According to the Southern Sudan Referendum Commission, 98.6 % of the 3.2 million people who voted chose secession, with more than 80 per cent of the votes in the south counted. Just 1.4 per cent chose unity. The commission had earlier confirmed that the turnout exceeded the 60 per cent required for a valid result.
“The result was the one that was expected,” Bona Malwal Madut, veteran Sudanese politician and adviser to northern Sudan’s president Omer al-Bashir said, adding that Khartoum would respect the result as promised under the 2005 peace agreement between both sides.
Read the whole thing.
Now, about those
diplomatic relations with Israel....
Labels: diplomatic relations, Dr. Francis Nazario, South Sudan
South Sudan wants diplomatic relations with Israel
Israel Radio interviewed Dr. Francis G. Nazario, South Sudan's
representative to the European Union, on its international hour a short while ago. Dr. Nazario was asked whether his country would consider diplomatic relations with Israel (which has apparently been assisting the South Sudanese on the sly in their battle with the Muslim North).
Nazario's response was that his country wishes to have diplomatic relations withe very country in the world and Israel is a country in the world.
Unfortunately, the prospect of a South Sudan with diplomatic relations with Israel is not likely to encourage North Sudanese President and war criminal Omar al-Bashir to respect the results of the referendum on independence that is currently being held in South Sudan, but we appreciate the thought and hope that diplomatic relations really do come to pass.
Labels: diplomatic relations, Dr. Francis Nazario, South Sudan
